After a walk through the unseasonably-warm, sun-drenched woods, my cousin Heather, her husband Joe and I sat down to eat the venison chili I’d made earlier in the day.

“This might be the best chili I’ve ever had,” Joe said, after just a few bites.

“Might be?” I asked.

Hopefully you have a freezer full of nicely-wrapped venison and other wild game. Don’t forget about it! Enjoying the harvest shouldn’t only happen on the day you bag your game. Make it a point to turn your harvest into delicious meals during the coming months. For me, and for you, it’s one more way to enjoy the memories of the past season.

If I owned a restaurant, the menu would be extremely limited. Venison chili and Venison Swiss steak would be daily specials, probably with roasted Brussels sprouts and macaroni and cheese the only sides available for each. Every cook has a couple “signature” meals; the best part about my favorite recipes are how simple they are to make, with limited ingredients and easy directions.

Here you go:

Venison Chili

When my friends asked for the recipe, I got the cans out of the trash to show them...

Ingredients: about a pound ground venison, 1 cup chopped red onion, 1 ½ cups chopped peppers, 2 small cloves finely chopped garlic, 2 cans kidney beans (I use the cans labeled “chili beans” which include spices), 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilis, salt and pepper to taste, a couple teaspoons of olive oil, shredded cheese.

How to: Cook the burger in oil. Add onions, peppers and garlic and let everything simmer for a few minutes. Then add all the other ingredients and heat to a boil. Then turn down the heat and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese when you serve.

Venison Swiss Steak

Another easy meal that you can make in one dish and bake in one pan.

Ingredients: About two pounds of ½ inch thick venison steaks, ½ cup flour, 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes, 1 sweet pepper, 1 medium chopped onion, 2 cloves minced garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons butter, salt and pepper to taste, 1 teaspoon each of thyme and oregano.

Preheat the oven to 350. While it’s heating, season the steaks on each side with salt and pepper. Spread the flour on a plate and dredge the individual steak pieces in the flour on each side. Heat the oil and butter together in a large skillet. When the butter is melted, brown each steak piece a couple minutes on each side. Once each piece is browned, transfer it to the 9 x 12 pan you’re going to use for baking.

In the skillet, saute the garlic, sweet pepper and onion (add more oil and butter if needed). Drizzle the skillet mixture over the steaks that you’ve spread out in the pan. Sprinkle the thyme and oregano over the steaks, then pour the diced tomatoes over the steaks. Seal the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 2 hours.